Golden-crowned Kinglet
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Common Name:
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family:
Regulidae
Genus:
Regulus
Species:
Regulus satrapa
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photo
Melissa Graham |
Taxonomy/Description
Golden-crowned Kinglets
are passerines in the Regulid family which consists of
other Kinglets.
The genus regulus is Latin for “little king”,
which describes the appearance, in particular the size,
of these birds. Golden-crowned Kinglets are very small
songbirds (3 ½ inches or 9 cm). They are smaller than
most warblers and are olive-gray in color with whitish
underparts. They have two white wing bars and a black
eyeline and whisker that help distinguish it from the
Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Male Golden-crowned Kinglets have
an orange and yellow crown patch while females have only
yellow. Many times the orange crown patch is concealed
in males and absent in juveniles.
Habitat/Diet
Golden-crowned Kinglets occupy coniferous forests and
spruce woodlands. They can also be found in mixed
deciduous-coniferous forests. They like to eat small, soft-bodied
insects, mites and spiders and their eggs. They will also eat a
small amount of vegetable manner, though usually not during the
breeding season. Golden-crowned Kinglets do most of their foraging
from tips of branches, under bark and from tufts of conifer needles.
photo
Melissa Graham
Behavior/Reproduction
Golden-crowned Kinglets breed from southwest Alaska
to Newfoundland. They spend the winters in much of eastern and
central North America. They have a monogamous mating system and
usually have two clutches per year with about nine eggs per clutch.
The eggs are creamy white in color and are laid in a pendulant nest
that hangs from a branch made by both sexes. Eggs are incubated by
the female for about 14-15 days and young are altricial (naked,
blind and immobile). Fledging occurs between days 14-19 after
hatching.
Where to see
them
in WNY
During the winter, before Golden-crowned Kinglets move to their northern
breeding habitats, they are very commonly seen in Forest Lawn
Cemetery and Tift Nature Preserve. They are often described as being
hyper-active because they do not stay in one place for very long and
are usually seen flicking their wings.
